What Is The Benefit Of Drinking Chocolate Milk For Athletes?

A favorite drink of your childhood may be the ideal choice for your post-workout nutrition. Athletes who engage in strenuous physical activity utilize glucose and stored glycogen for fuel, break down muscles and lose water, electrolytes and minerals. For optimal performance, you need to replenish these vital nutrients continuously to promote your body's recovery. Chocolate milk is easily accessible and packs more of a nutritional punch than commercial sports drinks; low-fat milk packs fewer calories and less unwanted fat that full-fat options, making it particularly appropriate for those interested in losing or maintaining weight.

Nutritional Composition of Chocolate Milk

According the the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database, one 8-oz. glass of low-fat chocolate milk contains 158 calories, 26.1 g of carbohydrates, 8.1 g of protein, 2.5 g of fat and 24.8 g of sugars. It also contains 290 mg of calcium and 152 mg of sodium. Meanwhile, the same amount of Gatorade, another popular post-workout beverage, contains 63 calories, 15.69 g of carbohydrates, 0 g of protein, 12.79 g of sugars, 2 mg of calcium and 95 mg of sodium.

Post-Exercise Recovery

After exercise, you muscles are very responsive to insulin. Insulin is in charge of moving glucose to your liver and muscles so it can be stored as glycogen. Your exercise performance is determined by the amount of glycogen your muscles can use. During the first two hours after a strenuous workout, your body manufactures glycogen twice as fast as it normally does, creating the optimal window for post-exercise recovery.

Carbohydrates and Protein

Sports nutritionist Nancy Clark recommends that athletes aim to take in food with a 3- or 4-to-1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio for their post-workout recovery; low-fat chocolate milk has approximately a 4-to-1 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio, making it ideal for consumption during the first two hours after exercise. The carbohydrates in chocolate milk provide you with immediate blood glucose and stimulate glycogen synthesis. The protein expedites the uptake of sugar into your muscles by stimulating the rise of insulin in your blood.

Recommendations

Because of its nutrient content and easy accessibility, chocolate has grown in popularity in recent years as a preferred choice over commercial sports drinks for athletic recovery, Dr. Henry C. Lukaski reports. In addition to proteins and carbohydrates, low-fat chocolate milk contains levels of sodium and sugar that help your body to stabilize and retain water, which is essential for recovering your energy. It's better to drink chocolate milk after, rather than during, exercise, because consuming it during physical activity may cause you to experience gastrointestinal distress.